Determination of the electron distribution in thin barrier AlGaAs/GaAs superlattices by capacitance-voltage profiling

Abstract

Electron density distribution in uniformly doped AlGaAs/GaAs superlattices with respective layer thicknesses 1.5/10 nm and a different number of quantum wells was investigated. Experimental samples containing 3, 5 and 25 periods with the same layer parameters were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Capacitance-voltage profiling was used to determine the carrier concentration profiles in the structures both numerically and experimentally. During the analysis of experimental capacitance-voltage characteristics it was found that the maximum electron concentration increases with an increase in the number of quantum wells starting from 7,1•10 16 сm -3 for 3 wells up to 9,2•10 16 сm -3 for 25 wells with overall superlattice doping level of 10 17 сm -3 . In some samples saturation areas are observed on the concentration profiles, that are associated with the region of superlattice. Concentration values, obtained from computer modeling, correspond to the experimental data with an error of less than 10 %. Capacitance-voltage profiling is a suitable technique for determining the carrier concentration profiles in thin barrier superlattices. Despite the fact that the method provides distribution of the "apparent" carrier concentration profile, it can be used to estimate the dopant atoms distribution in the strongly coupled quantum well heterostructures.

Carrier density distribution in AlGaAs/GaAs superlattices with different numbers of quantum wells determined by capacitance-voltage profiling

“…The profiles of the apparent charge carrier concentration, obtained from the experimental C-V curves according to equation (1), are shown in figure 5 (taken from [25]). The limited depth range of the 25-period structure concentration profile, distinguished by the dotted line in figure 5, is related to a dramatic increase in leakage current at high reverse bias voltages (over 10 V), which made it difficult to obtain correct measurements.…”